What’s in the Box? Brussel Sprouts!

Welcome to our new series, What’s in the Box! Each week we will feature in-season vegetables, tell you what’s great about them and the best ways to prepare them.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS!

The Good Stuff

These leafy greens a
re part of the cabbage family. They might smell funny (or just plain bad) but don’t turn your nose up at these edible buds. They are packed with goodness.

With at least 21 vitamins & minerals, 1 cup of brussel sprouts is only 56 calories.  One serving of brussel sprouts contain a day’s worth of vitamin’s K, C,with plenty of A, B-6, folate, potassium, and manganese. There is no fat of any kind, no cholesterol, an insignificant amount of sodium and delivers 13% daily fiber, 6% daily protein and 9% daily potassium.

5 Great Ways to Eat Them

Roasted.

Roasting brussel sprouts is super easy.  When done right brussel sprouts come out slightly crispy on the outside and nice and firm on the inside – no soggy sprouts here!  Even folks who don’t typically like brussel sprouts have enjoyed these.  Roasting vegetables is the bomb.  A flavor bomb.  Roasting brings out the best in most veggies and doesn’t zap them of nutrients like the microwave.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse your brussel sprouts thoroughly.  Trim and prepare the brussel sprouts by slicing off the ends, and cutting in half.  Peel any leaves from the outside that are wilted or have blemishes.  This recipe is based on 4 cups of halved brussel sprouts.  Put them in a large gallon baggie, pour in 2 TBSP of olive oil to completely coat.  Sprinkle in sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Close the baggie and shake, shake, SHAKE!

On a rimmed baking sheet, using parchment paper (or foil), pour the sprouts onto the pan and separate so the are in a single layer.  I prefer to roast mine with the flat side down, but it doesn’t really matter and you should turn them once during cooking anyway.  Leave the loose leave – they will become crispy and are like little brussel sprout chips and a good textured accompaniment to the finished dish.

Roast for 30 – 35 minutes.

Sauteed.

Sauteeing brussel sprouts is a great option when making one-pot entrees.  Preheat a pan on the stove with some olive oil – about 1 TBSP.  Sautee the brussel sprouts first to get them slightly browned before adding any liquids required as part of your recipe.  This will lock in the tenderness and keep them firm.

Veganomicon includes a delicious one-pot sauteed brussel sprout dish called Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.  I’ve substituted potatoes for the seitan several times.  It is a brothy one-pot stew-like dish that stands on it’s own or is great served over rice or mashed potatoes.

Raw, shaved in a salad.

Use your standard cheese grater and shave away!  You can also chop the brussel sprouts, whichever method is easiest for you.  Make sure you wash you sprouts well.  Simply cut the end off, and remove any wilted or blemished leaves from the outside.  Walnuts, strawberries, dried cranberries or bacon are good compliments with brussel sprouts in salads as well as a citrus or slightly tart vinaigrette.

Stir fry.

Click here for one of my favorite sauteed brussel sprout recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine.  I still enjoy getting magazines in the mail, especially food magazines where I can flag the recipes old school style with post-it notes.  It’s just as satisfying as pulling out that old-fashioned cookbook with same said post-it notes.  I digress…

This recipe is super simple.  I substituted the crystallized ginger for ginger powder and the taste was just fine.

Roasted.  This time with a variety of delicious veggies.

You can get so creative with roasting veggies, especially brussel sprouts which pair well with fall root vegetables and squashes.  I like my meals to feature a lot of colors.  You can try this recipe with also features butternut squash or this recipe featuring potatoes, beets, parsnips and carrots.  What’s so great about these combo recipes is you can add-to or leave out veggies based on what you have, it likely won’t ruin the dish (unless it is THE staple ingredient) and you’re making the most of what you have on hand.